How to get a licence
Driving school or direct application — know the cost and time difference before you start.
The two routes
Go to a designated driving school
- Rough cost
- About ¥250,000–350,000
- Rough time
- 1–3 months commuting / about 2 weeks residential
The usual route. Pass the school graduation test and the practical exam at the licence centre is waived — you only sit the written exam.
The practical exam is waived. A car and a place to practise are provided.
Expensive. Most lessons are in Japanese, and schools offering other languages are limited.
Direct application (one-shot exam)
- Rough cost
- Around ¥50,000, but it rises with every retake
- Rough time
- Varies widely from person to person
Skip the school and take the eyesight check, written exam and practical exam directly at the licence centre.
Much cheaper. It can be a short cut if you already drive well.
The practical exam is marked strictly and many people retake it repeatedly. You must arrange a car and a supervising driver yourself.
Driving-school route
- Enrol and take the aptitude check (eyesight and so on)
- Stage one (classroom and driving)
- Pass the stage-one driving test and the provisional written exam → provisional licence
- Stage two (classroom and driving, including on public roads)
- Pass the graduation test → graduation certificate
- Sit the full written exam at the licence centre → licence issued
Direct-application route
- Take the provisional aptitude, written and practical exams at the licence centre → provisional licence
- Practise on public roads (see the conditions below)
- Take the full aptitude, written and practical exams
- Attend the post-test course
- Licence issued
Conditions for practising with a provisional licence
A provisional licence does not let you drive alone. All of the following apply.
- Someone with at least three years of driving experience must sit in the passenger seat
- A 仮免許練習中 plate must be displayed on the front and rear of the car
- On the direct route you need at least 5 days and 10 hours of road practice before the full test
Exam fees
Both the provisional and full stages have an exam fee and an issue fee — a few thousand yen in total. Amounts vary by prefecture, and the exam fee is charged again every time you retake. Confirm the exact figures with your licence centre.
If you are not a Japanese national
If you already hold a foreign licence, converting it is almost always faster and cheaper. Check first whether your country qualifies.
Costs, lesson counts and fees differ by school and prefecture and are revised from time to time. Always confirm with the school or your local licence centre before applying.